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Generation of Retinal Organoids from Healthy and Retinal Disease-Specific Human-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Published on: December 9, 2022
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Generating minicorneal organoids from human induced pluripotent stem cells
Praveen Joseph Susaimanickam1, Savitri Maddileti1, Vinay Kumar Pulimamidi1
1Sudhakar and Sreekanth Ravi Stem Cell Biology Laboratory, Prof. Brien Holden Eye Research Centre, Hyderabad Eye Research Foundation, L.V. Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad 500 034, India.
Development (Cambridge, England)
|June 1, 2017
Summary
Researchers developed a novel method to create three-dimensional corneal organoids from human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs). These organoids mimic human corneas, offering a promising alternative for treating ocular surface defects.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Stem Cell Biology
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Corneal epithelial stem cells maintain ocular surface homeostasis.
- Current treatments for severe corneal defects include limbal grafts and engineered cell sheets.
- Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) offer a potential alternative for bilateral corneal defects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an efficient method for generating three-dimensional corneal organoids from human PSCs.
- To create a self-organizing, miniature eye-like structure recapitulating corneal development.
- To establish an alternative tissue source for corneal regeneration.
Main Methods:
- Human PSCs were differentiated to form eye field primordial clusters.
- These clusters self-organized into three-dimensional, eyeball-like structures.
- Maturation and anatomical features were analyzed over 15 weeks.
Main Results:
- Generated complex three-dimensional corneal organoids from human PSCs.
- Organoids exhibited retinal and corneal primordia, eyelid-like coverings, and adnexal tissues.
- Organoids recapitulated developmental events and displayed features of adult corneal tissue.
- Demonstrated similar anatomical features and marker expression profiles to adult corneal tissues.
Conclusions:
- Human PSC-derived corneal organoids provide a promising alternative for ocular surface reconstruction.
- This method eliminates the need for complex cell enrichment procedures.
- These organoids represent a viable tissue source for regenerating corneal layers.
